Survey on the Good and Meaningful Life

[rug]

Posted by Jean Kazez at 10:34 AM
Friday, November 2, 2012

In the class I'm teaching, we're doing a bit of "X-Phi" on issues having to do with the good life and the meaningful life. It would be wonderful if you would take our survey AND spread the word, wherever you hang out -- Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, whatever. Here's the link-- https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/moljk

http://kazez.blogspot.com/2012/11/survey-on-good-and-meaningful-life.html

21 questions. You won't get a score but you may pause to think.

[fleur-de-lisa]

1. Done. It was a little odd . . .

what happens when you've collected all the surveys?

[rug]

2. Oh it's not mine. A teacher is involving her class in experimental philosophy.

I forgot to add the byline.

So, did you unplug?

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. Yes.

[rug]

4. Same here.

[cbayer]

5. Interesting. Would love to see her results.

[xfundy]

6. why?

Doing anything on facebook sends anyone's personal information--demographics, psychographics, anything linkable to a database, which includes EVERYTHING-- to anyone, marketer, insurance group, political analcyst, etc., willing to pay for it. So why should anyone give up any information to any corporation, especially those hiding behind the tax-free cloak of religion, with goals that are more than likely nefarious and certainly not in the interests of anyone not indoctrinated into whatever belief system wants the data?

'Scuse me, but, based on just about every post I've seen from you, I don't believe you have our interests at heart, but, rather, expect to prophet from us.

So, no.

[rug]

7. Facebook?

Based on this post alone, I don't believe you are particularly fact-based.

[cbayer]

8. Who in the world are you talking to and what in the world does this have to do with Facebook?

(Aside - I have heard rug called many things, but never a prophet, lol)

[MineralMan]

9. That survey leads to a dead-end page with no options

but to sign up. No options, of course, but to close the tab and dump yourself out of it. Further it has nothing whatsoever to do with religion. This is a Lounge post.

Why did you post that here?

A. Do you think it will mean that you're living a better life?

or

B. You're just fucking with people.

[rug]

10. C. This is a survey on moral choices prepared for a class on experimental philosophy.

D. Some of these choices are based on religious beliefs.

E. Your reply says more than if you had actually looked at and answered the 21 questions.

[MineralMan]

11. Ah, but I did answer all 21 questions. And then, I was dumped to

an information collection page with no exit point. That's surveymonkey.com's business model. You give them information and then they sell it to spammers.

The questions were moderately interesting, but the process of taking the survey is unrewarding...unless you're surveymonkey.

[rug]

12. You can contact the author from that blog entry.

http://www.blogger.com/email-post.g?blogID=8310450667755637519&postID=1611368347037586438

It seems she is collecting the data confidentially until she tabulates the results. I suspect she doesn't want to skew the results by discussing it beforehand. I can't imagine why she'd not release or discuss the results when she's done.

[aikoaiko]

13. For those who took the survey, would you answer two questions for me?

Last edited Sun Nov 4, 2012, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm not looking for myself because survey monkey surveys automatically collect the IP addresses of everyone who takes the survey and I'd rather not do that.

1. Was there an informed consent form involved?

2. If so, did the consent form state that this protocol was reviewed by an IRB?

[cbayer]

14. Neither. It's a survey, not a study, and no IRB review is necessary as no human

"subjects" are involved.

Edited to add that pretty much all sites collect your IP data, including DU.

[aikoaiko]

16. Unless the survey is completed by non-human animals is most assuredly is using human participants.

And an IRB would be required of any professor at a university complying with 45cfr46.

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html#46.103

Yes, almost all sites do collect IPs, but I go to sites I trust, like DU or the Dept Of Health and Human Services.

[cbayer]

18. I'm familiar with IRBs and need for informed consent.

They apply to studies in which there is an intervention:

Intervention includes both physical procedures by which data are gathered (for example, venipuncture) and manipulations of the subject or the subject's environment that are performed for research purposes. Interaction includes communication or interpersonal contact between investigator and subject. Private information includes information about behavior that occurs in a context in which an individual can reasonably expect that no observation or recording is taking place, and information which has been provided for specific purposes by an individual and which the individual can reasonably expect will not be made public (for example, a medical record). Private information must be individually identifiable (i.e., the identity of the subject is or may readily be ascertained by the investigator or associated with the information) in order for obtaining the information to constitute research involving human subjects.

Anonymous surveys do not include an intervention and do not require consent or IRB approval.

[aikoaiko]

19. I dont think you're reading the common rule correctly.

The involvement of human subjects occurs when there is intervention or interaction and a survey is most definitely interaction. And IP addresses are generally considered identifying information.

(f) Human subject means a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains

(1) Data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or
(2) Identifiable private information.

Now I will admit that that surveys may be exempted from review but that is generally determined by the iRB chair (or expedited reviewer) and still should have an informed consent form. The lack of informed consent form in this case shows why IRB review is necessary.

This one would likely qualify as an expedited review if I were to make the decision.

[cbayer]

20. There is no interaction at all. I have never seen an anonymous survey which

required either consent or IRB approval. The tool only collects data. There isn't even any feedback, let along interaction.

What would you be consenting to?

[aikoaiko]

21. Have you ever served on an IRB?

Potential human participants would be consenting to participating in the study. The informed consent form would describe the study, that there are no more than minimal risk involved, length of time to completion, that they can withdraw from the study and withdraw their data, that their participation is voluntary, that they will not receive an financial benefit, etc., and, most importantly, contact names and numbers of the researcher and IRB chair for questions.

This is all very typical.

[cbayer]

22. Yes I have, in addition to providing oversight for one in a hospital setting.

I never, ever saw a survey like this come before the committee. There were research tools which involved interviews that came before IRB, but never a survey.

Should hospital or university administrations be subject to IRB approval when they are doing satisfaction surveys? Should studies done in hospitals that require only the collection of data (like infection rates) be subject to this as well?

If you are involved in an overly cautious institution that requires informed consent and IRB approval for something like this, then that is your experience, but I have just never seen that before.

[aikoaiko]

23. Ok, I'm beginning to understand where your comments are coming from.

A study like this wouldn't have to come before a full committee. Unless you were IRB chair you might not see them at all.

An IRB chair may decide a protocol is exempt from further review (which this survey likely might be), sending it to one reviewer for expedited review (maybe in this case), or to a full committee (unlikely in this case).

But even if it is exempted from further review the study should still follow basic ethical practices such as informed consent. Typically in survey monkey a researcher has a page devoted to the usual topics in any informed consent form and the participant has to check a box that they read the form and understood.

I've done survey research at four different universities and this typical. It doesn't surprise me that someone involved with a hospital IRBs discount the risk involved with surveys considering the physical risk involved in many medical studies, but the institution still has responsibilities to review all research.

Program evaluation (includes customer service surveys) might be subject to IRB approval depending on the content, but the Common Rule specifically allows them to be exempted from review.

[cbayer]

24. That makes sense. I think most investigators would err on the side of

caution and ask the IRB chair to review to see if they needed further approval. Much of that would have happened out of my sight.

We had much bigger problems with some arrogant physicians who didn't think they needed anybody to approve anything. Our other areas of difficulty were with pharmaceutical and medical device companies wanting to skirt the rules as well.

So surveys? They just didn't mean much.

It's been nice talking with you about this. I learned some things I didn't know and came to see your perspective.

Thanks.

[aikoaiko]

25. Thank you for hearing me out.

And thank you for your service on IRBs.

[rug]

15. No and no.

22. Would you take a survey without an informed consent form?

[aikoaiko]

17. Maybe, but more importantly I wouldn't administer one without one.

Its a matter of ethics.